US2640987A - Armored garment - Google Patents

Description

R. W. EHLERS ARMORED GARMENT `lune 9, 1953 Filed June 2, 1952 FIG.

I l l INVENTOR RUSSELL W. EHLERS l5"Vv l v W ,l ATTORNEY June 9, 1953 R, W EHLERS 2,640,987

ARMORED GARMENT Filed June 2, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 4

Shaulder Bqck INVENTOR Rus SELL w.iEH| ERs,

BY l

ATTORNEY structure.

Patented June 9, 1953 1i' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ARMORED GARMENT Application June 2, 1952, Serial N0. 291,366

(Granted under Title 35, U. S. Code (1952),

sec. 266) 29 Claims.

t fragments from exploding antiaircraft shells.

Law-enforcement officers, and to a. lesser extent `military personnel, are sometimes exposed to fire from lpistols and revolvers. which compels them either to endanger their lives or abandon their mission. Protection against such nre has been persistently attempted by the use of steel. shields or similar means, which, however, have not been successful as body armor worn on the person, because of the great weight of a steel plate capable of resisting penetration of a projectile, Chiey, with a view to the protection of personnel against death or injury from artillery and hand weapons, laminated non-metallic armor plates possessing great resistance to penetration by projectiles (shell fragments, as well as smallcaliber cartridge and bullets from shor-t-barreled weapons) have been developed during World War II. Examples of such body armor plates are the laminated nylon armor plates described in U. S. Patent No. 2,399,184, Heckert, and the laminated glass fabric armor plate disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 2,562,951, Rose and Merritt. Such plates, while possessing ballistic properties quite adequate for the intended purpose, had the drawback Yj of rigidity and stiffness, which is a source of discomfort to the wearer and, yet more importantly,

may prevent him from getting into the proper iiring position in diicult terrain during combat. 'To overcome this drawback of stiffness in body armor plates, it has been suggested, e. g., in

fl-leckert, U. S. Patent No. 2,399,184, at page 4;

column l, and following that the cementing of the laminae may be limited to one or more of the outer edges or to certain portions of the For example, shell fragment-resisting personal armor can be made by leaving portions 4free from adhesive where bending is required, as

at the knee or elbow. It was found, however,

' during actual eld tests that a multi-layered water filled ioxhole, or as the result of fording a stream; the added weight ofabsorbed waterV tends to defeat the very purpose of the armored garment in that it either immobilizes the wearer or compels him to discard the garment in order to continue to fight.

I have found that a comparatively lightweight armored garment, which has the advantages of compactness and water resistance of a resiny bonded structure without the disadvantage of stiffness of a fully laminated armor plate, can be provided by spot-laminating the layers in a regular pattern wherein the laminated areas are transversely aligned and are arranged in spaced rows extending over substantial portions of the area of the armor plate incorporated in the garment. An. armored garment which is spotlaminated in this general manner, described in greater detail hereafter, is ballistically at least the equal of an armored garment protected by solidly laminated stiff armor plates, and yet ilexible enough to enable the wearer to move freely and to assume the proper nring position, in the prone, kneeling, squatting and standing positions.

A preferred material for an armored garment in accordance with the present linvention is tightly woven nylon fabric, resin spot-laminated in from about 9 to about 20 layers, preferably about 12 to 15 layers. However, as will be hereafter more fully appear, my invention is not restricted to the use of nylon material.

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide an armored body garment which aiiords protection to the wearer against the eiects of fragmentation projectiles for some types of small-arms re, without unduly impeding his movements by reason of excessive weight, stiliness, or bulkiness.

Another object of the present invention is an armored jacket which combines relatively light weight, and good ballistic properties.

A further object of the present invention is a construction of an armored jacket which is protected against waterlogging upon exposure to rain or other sources of water encountered on the battle field.

Still another object of the present invention is a resin-bonded laminated armor plate suitable for use in an armored garment, which is charactei-ized by a regular arrangement of aligned spot laminations disposed in a pattern which insures comparative flexibility throughout its area.

Another object of the present invention is an armored jacket of simple construction, which can be relatively inexpensively manufactured in assorted sizes, and which can be quickly put on or taken ol' by the wearer as combat conditi-ons may require.

Other objects of my invention will become apparent as the detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the same proceeds.

The' accompanying drawings illustrate a preferred'em'bodin'ient of my invention,`but should not be deemed to limit the scope of my invention to any particular dimensions, proportions or' front portion, a generally rectangular back portion, and a shoulder portion, the front por- Ztion being disposed at an obtuse angle relative Figure 2 is a side elevation of the armored vest i illustrated in Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional View, 'partly- --element for lamination to the armorplate'as shown in the detailed view'of Fig. 3;

More particularly, the armored garment'in 'a'ccordance with the present invention includes a laminated plate lil of tightly woven high tenacity elongatable plastic textile material, such as nylon, yinclosed in a shell VI l, II of lightweight waterresistant material, e. g. coated nylon. The shell 'preferably' surrounds'the outer and inner Surfaces of the armor plate for additional protection against waterlogging; it may be provided with patch pockets I2, y front tabs provided with quick release vsnap fasteners I3, and belt loops I 4 likewise provided with quick release snap fasteners I5 for the purpose of speedily removing'the garment should the wearer find'h'imself in danger of drowning or other reasons for quickly ridding himself of the armored garment.` The edges of the shell are preferably provided with astrong waterand tear-resistant binding I 5. vIn the construction shown, a pair of plackets Il', I1 unites the front and back panels of the vest. It will be understood, of course, that the foregoing tailoring details are subject to many mod-ifications and variations; thus, the material and armor plate may be enclosed in a plain waterproof shell, e. g. of nylon or vinyl material, and stitched to the inside lof a conventional eld jacket (not shown) having a fly front vand a conventional slide fastener and button closure.

A preferred armor plate for inclusion in a garment of thel type above describedconsistvsA of about 9 to 20, preferably l2 to l5 plies of tightly woven high tenacity elongatable plastic material;v

nylon being the preferred material, other strong 4and elongatable plastic textile materials such as strong fine regenerated cellulose fiber of the Fortisan or Durail type are permissible though presently lessl preferred'substitutes. typical nylon fabric suitable for layers to be laminated in accordance with the present invenvtion is lightweight duck cloth, having the following characteristics: ,l

Weave, plain, twoends woven ,as one, 2 picks Woven as one, weight 13-14 oz. per square yard;

Filing, minimum 37 picks off the loom com- -posed of 5 plied threads;

- Breaking strength, minimum 775 lbs. in warp and filling (grab method) 1 -Elongation of'nished cloth, minimum 30% in r warp and 25% in filling.

This cloth, in the preferred form of the present invention, is then cut into sheets or panels of the configuration shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings; each panel includes a generally rectangufifi as shown in Figure 2 of the drawings.

to the back portion. For greater flexibility, I prefer to have left panels I8 and right panels VvI9, hingedntogether along the back in a manner about to be described in greater detail. However,;,it will be understood that the panels may kalsobe ,cutin the general form of a Y, in a Vconfiguration generally corresponding to the outline'of: Figure 4, but without the center back hinge.

-As heretofore indicated, the plies which make up the armored plate are joined together by resin spot-laminations, with the laminated areas of the front and back portions'v being disposed in a regular pattern which insures-ilexibilityi- As shown in Figure 3 of -the drawings, the laminated areas are transversely aligned, i. e. the resin-bonded area A between the outerk layer 2D and the second layer 2| is in alignment with the resin-bonded areasVv underneath, includingv'l-the resin-bonded area A between next-to-last-layer 22' and innermost layer 23. I havefoundthat best results are obtained by an equilateraltriangular configuration ofthe spot laminations, e. g. of a side length of 2". These triangular spot laminations extend over vthe'areasfof;` the front and back portions of each panel' in spaced rows, as shown in detail in Fig. 4, with thesides of the triangles 24 aligned in straight lines, thereby enabling the amor plateto be flexed transversely and along'lines intersecting at lay 60 angle. The spaces or gutters 25 between the rows should be of .substantial width, sayy to insure flexibility; however, the interstices will be less than the maximum linear dimensions of 'advjacent spot laminaticns (e. g., less than vtlf1e'2" side length of thev triangular'spotlaminations specically set forth herein). t also appears from'the arrangement shownin Fig. 4 thatthe triangles `2li are disposed in regular' clusters, wherein at the intersections between any three gutters 25, the tips of six 4triangles 24 Vare assembled in contiguity.

The shoulder portion is preferably laminated in a different pattern from that of the front and back portion, e, g., in a pattern of small circular spots 26, so that the plate may be bent sharply at the shoulder portion to enable the front and back portionsto be joined in vest or jacket form It is necessary that the individual resin spots 26 between the fabric layers be transversely aligned 4throughout the depth of the plate, as otherwise the plate would be stiff.

The lamination resin is preferably applied` to the plies by means of a stencil or printing roll. While- I do not wish to limit the scope of the present invention to any particular resin, I wish to point out that I have obtained highly satisfactory ballistic results by the use of a mixture of approximately equal parts of a phenol formaldehyde resin and polyvinyl butyral resin (safety glass'grade) in a solvent of alcohol and toluene. Such an adhesive resin is sold by Bakelite Corporation as Resin BJ-16320, and by Industrial Tape Corporation as Permacel 1500;.the resin solids content of this adhesive is about 33-37%.

With the spot-lamination pattern arrangement, as above described, the addition of about l0 lparts by weight of resin to each 100 parts by weight of textile material is sufficient to produce good ballistic results. Other resin binders, some of which are enumerated in I-Ieckert, Patent No.

L 253918584, zmay also be employed, kthough probably wv'it'h less :favorable ballistic results.

;In my gpreierred construction, ,wherein ,left and fright `panels are provided, ithey ;are joined sa :back Center hinge istrip. ie. g. ,a long narrow `tuto-,ply nylon strip 2 7, which mayibe resin'bond- -ed to thennermost layer f2.3 iof reach` paneLfand/ or fsewn thereto apriorato -,the :bonding together Iof the Imate ,Even :though ran iarmored garment incorporatza iproperly constructed rarmor plate such as @the oneherein disclosed will arrest :a projectile having ia `:considerable velocity, and thereby `pro- 'tentthe -Wearerrom .death ,or injury, it never- Yitheless transmits a ,painful blow Ato his body, 4willen struck. ,In -order to cushion this blow,1 .preferito cement or fotherwise join tothe inner layer 23 of the armor plate a thick resilient llayer, @preferably .o-iunicellular .rubber or plastic (e. g., neoprene or vinyl) material. In order to save Weight Aand add to :the shock absorption, a Alarge inumber :of squares or other geometric gures is @cut away `from the .resilient layer, as `shown in lll'ig. T'Ihe unicellular material, which i-is now rcommercially :sold under several trade names, `:isuchzas Rubatex or fEnsolite, does not take npfapprec'iable quantities of water, because the `cellsldofnotintercommunicate.

Aityp'ical 12-.ply armoriplatein 'accordance-With ane .present invention v4liasa ,thickness of Ivabout l@ 'gto 5% ,inch measuredifrom outer :to `inner "nylon layerfio whichis aiddedan extra abouti/1. inch thickness of zunicellular Lcushioning material A -;oomp1ete @armored garment, V:as shownin Figure weightsabont 7%.,1bs.

While I .doznot wishzito ,commit myself to any v-partieular vtheory faszt'o the ballistic efficacy of ianiarmored garmentninraceordance ,with the pres- -f-ent `iirnention, .LI :believe that the forward 1mormentum roi :the projectile is `progressively dissipated shy fthe :energy l"expended 'in the distortion and delamination :of the successivetextile layers. Surprisingly, IJhave ,found `that `the penetration resistance of the resinfbgondedsareas of lthe armor Y1:late;isvnot signincantly diierent :from that of Ytheunbondedfinterstices between: such;areas.

-zballistizc .limit Atests on armored garments made ingaccordance -with the present invention, it was :foundzthat 1a.'.12-pl'y .spot-laminated :nylon :armor `,weigfhing fabout 18.6 :iz/sq. ft., backed with 1/4"",unicellular rubhermaterial and enclosed v:inra :tightly Woven nylon shell 'possessed ian :aver- 4lage protection fllso') ballistic limit ,of 11375 riti/sem; Y1i` te. :stopped at least 510% of L17-'grain ffragmentation-simulating `projectiles propelled against it at :a melocity of 1375 iti/sec. 'at the meint-@of fim'pact; ktloispis :ample fprotecti'on against minst hand grenade, :mortar aand Iantiaircraft zshell `fragments andagainstfpistol orfsubmachine bullets, though not against .30 cal. .rie'bullets unless.ricooheting .orinearly spent. The average @protection (Veo) ,ballistic limit of the samearmor enolosedinairubber-coated fabric shell was found `,tolcae 1342 tt./sec.,fwhich'is substantially the same 'iin 4the ilimit :o'fiexperimental error. In a third test, fusing Vl-ply nylon armor enclosed in a anylon shell, and lhaving `an yaverage weight of 22 ioayfsq. `Tt.,1the average protection "(Vso) ballistic iiniit was 1485 `*ft/seo., -which is a substantial im- `movement over the other vtwo tests, but 'at a `riseroi 18% :in weight. 'In evaluating the foregoing ltests lit vwill loe Lunderstood that, while a stoppage-oreilly k50% .of the projectiles 'by-'an farmored garment Lwouldibe of little value incom- "bat, the same 'garment Iwill :stop :nearly all projectiles having a `slightly .lowervelocityat :the pointfof impaot than that :established `by Athe Yeo ballistic limit test; in tthis sense, this test unay be comparedto load limit tests of 'structuralrma- 1teria1s,wherein the point of 'failure furnishes an :indication 4of :the safety limits of the :same material :if `a proper margin of safety tsub- "tracted While `I have chiefly .described my .armored garmentintermsof an armoredvestjit willnficourse kbeunderstood that the vprinciples underlying the inventionfmayfalsobe employed inermoredfgarments ysuch as `trousers ,or Coveralls, which .are jof value, :not 'so .much to the infantryman for whom they are probably too heavy, buttofliers. -gun vScrews and Aother lpersonnel whose kcombat duties do -not normally .require them .to Vmove quickly from `place to place while ghting.

"While changes .in the arrangement, proportions, dimensions sand shape ofthe armoredfgarvment and .component parts thereof, .disclosed :in this :specication will readily 'occur to .the eX- fpert l.without `departing from the lspirit Yof :my invariation, it vis'my `desire .to encompass such varia- Ytions within'thescopeof such invention. `Iithus ydesirefto be'limitedonly by the alipended claims.

lclaim:

l. Armored garment comprising nuter, linterfmediate` and inner .layers of wovenhigh tenacity -elongatable 4,plastic etextile material, saidlayers being resin spot-laminated over limited areas substantially lessthanthe-entirearea 0f :said fgarment, the spot-laminations of said outer, intermediate and inner `layers being transversely aligned, and the spot-laminations intthe iront and back portions foffsaid armored Igarment being .of large dimensions and arrangedin spaced yrows extending over substantial y.portions of .the ,area of said garment, the intersticesbetween saidspotlaminations insai'd :rows being less than the maximum Ilinear dimensions of :said laste-,mentioned spot-laminations; whereby said garment is ,rendered ilexible.

2. .Arnfxored 'garment comprising outer, intermediate :and inner :layers of wovennylon 'textile material, :said layers being `resin Vspot-laminated over limited areas substantially 'less `thangtheen- Jtire 'area of fsaid garment, the vspot Alaminai'ions `offsald zouter, intermediate and inner layers :be-

ing :transversely aligned, andthe spotflaminations in the front and back portions of said farmored.garment beingf-ofla'rge dimensions'and ar- :ranged `in spaced rows extending over `substan- .tial :portions :ofLthe .area .of said garment, the'inlterstices lbetween said Aspot-laminations in :said rows `.being less than the maximum ,linear di- -mensions of `said last-mentioned spot-,laminations; whereby said garment is rendered exible.

v armored igarment comprising outer, inter- :medi'ate and inner jlayers fof =woven`nigh tenacity-elongatable plastic textile material, saidflayers .being resinsspot-,laminatei :the spot laminations of said outery intermediate and inner llayersin .ithezfrontandfback portions of saidfarmoredlgar- Vmentbeing in therpattern of.,ai-large pluralityzof large triangles which are transversely :aligned :and arranged:inv spaced rows textendingxover sub- ,'stantial portions `of iths :area of Vsaid garment, -ths y,interstices t.between said spot-laminations `in f-said eroivs being less `than the maximum y,linear dimensions of said last-mentioned spot-lamina- ,tions; whereby said. garment `is rrendered exible along 'the -finterstices between said rows.

n.4. Armored .garment :for protecting the human wtorso', comprising outer, intermediate and inner layers of woven high tenacity elongatable plastlc textile material extending over the front and back of'the torso, said layers being resin spot-laminated, the spot laminations of said outer, intermediate and inner layers in the front and back portions of said armored garment being in the pattern of a large plurality of large triangles which are transversely aligned and arranged in spaced rows extending over substantial portions of the area of said garment, the interstices between said spot-laminations in said rows being less than the maximum linear dimensions of said last-mentioned spot-laminations; whereby said garment is rendered flexible along the interstices f between said rows.

5. Armored garment for protecting the human torso, comprising outer, intermediate and inner layers of woven high tenacity, elongatable plastic textile material extending over the front and back l of the torso, said layers being resin spot-lami- "nated, the spot laminations of the front and back vportions of the outery intermediate and inner layers being in thepattern of a large plurality of large triangles which are transversely aligned -and extending over substantial portions of the 4iront and back portions of sai-d garment, the

interstices between said triangular spot-laminations being-less than the maximum linear dimensions of said triangular spot-laminations,

and the spot laminations of the shoulder portions of said garment being in the pattern of transversely aligned dots, whereby said garment is rendered iiexible along the interstices between said triangular spot-laminations and along the interstices between said dots.

about 10% of the weight of said nylon textile' layers.

11. Armored garment according to claim 1, wherein said spot-laminated layers are backed by a thick layer of highly resilient material laminated to the inner layer of' said textile material.

12'. Armored garment according to claim 11,

Aenclosed in a shell of thin iiexiblewater-resistant material.

13. Armored garment according to claim 11, wherein said spot-laminated layers are backed by f a thick layer of highly resilient unicellular material laminated to the inner layer of said textile 1 material.

14. Armored garment according to claim 1, enclosed in a shell of thin flexible water-resistant material.

15. Armored garment according to claim 1, wherein said spot-laminated layers are backed by a thick layer of highly resilient foraminous material laminated to the inner layer of said textile material.

16. Armored garment for protecting the human torso, comprising outer, intermediate and inner ylayers of woven high tenacity elongatable plastic textile materiall of a configuration substantially resembling a Y, the obliqueportions of said Y extending over the front of the torso and meeting in a ily front and the 'straight' portion of said Y extending over the back ofv the torso and joinedto said front portions along the sides of the torso, said layers being resin spot-laminated, the spot laminations of said outer, intermediate and inner layers being transversely aligned, and the spot-laminations in the front and back portions of said armored garment being of large dimensions and arranged in spaced rows extending over substantial portions of the area of said garment, the interstices between said spot-laminations in said rows being less than the maximum linear dimensions of said lastmentioned spot-laminations; whereby said garment is rendered flexible.

17. Armored garment for protecting the human torso, comprising about 9 to 20 outer, intermediate and inner layers of woven nylon textile material of a configuration substantially resembling a Y, a thick layer of high resilient material laminated to the inner nylon layer, the oblique portions of said Y-shaped layers extending over the iront of the torso and meeting in a iiy front and the straight portion of said Y-shaped layers extending over the back of the torso and joined to said front portions along the sides of the torso, said layers being resin spot-laminated, the spot laminations of said outer, intermediate and inner nylon layers being in the pattern of a large plurality of transversely aligned large triangles arranged in spacedA rows extending over substantial portions of the areaof said garment with the exception of the shoulder portions, the interstices between said triangular spot-laminations being less than the maximum linear dimensions of said triangular spot-laminations, and the spot laminations of the shoulder portions being in the pattern of transversely aligned dots, whereby said garment is rendered flexible along the interstices between said rows of triangles and along the interstices between said dots.

18. Flexible armor plate for an armored garment, said plate comprising outer, intermediate and inner layers of woven high tenacity elongatable plastic textile material, said layers being resin spot-laminated over limited areas substantially less than the entire area of said armor plate, the spot-laminations of said outer, interrmediate and inner layers being transversely aligned, and the spot-laminations in the principal protective areas of said armor plate being of large dimens-ions and arranged in spaced rows extending over substantial portions of the area of said armor plate, the interstices between said spot-laminations in said rows 'being less than the maximum linear dimensions of said last-mentioned spot-laminations.

19. Flexible armor plate for an armored garment, said plate comprising outer, intermediate and inner layers of woven high tenacity elongatable plastic textile material, said plate comprising a rectangular front portion, a rectangular back portion and a shoulder portion, the longitudinal axes of said front portion and of said back portion being disposed at an obtuse angle relative to each other, said front portion an-d said back portion being resin spot-laminated in the pattern of a large plurality of large triangles which are transversely aligned and extend over the area of said -front and back portions in spaced rows, the interstices between said spotlaminations in `said rows being less than the maximum linear dimensions of said spot-laminations.

20. Flexible armor plate for an armored garment, said plate comprising about 9 to 20 outer, intermediate, and inner layers of high tenacity elongatable plastic textile material, said outer, intermediate, and inner layers being resin spotlaminated in the pattern of a large plurality of large triangles which are transversely aligned and extend over the area of said armored plate in spaced straight rows, the interstices between said spot-laminations in said rows being less than the maximum linear dimensions of said spotlaminations, whereby said armor is rendered exible along the interstices between said rows of triangles.

21. Flexible armor plate according to claim 20, wherein said textile material is nylon.

22. Flexible armor plate according to claim 20, wherein the number of said laminated layers is about 12.

23. Flexible armor plate according to claim 20, wherein the weight of said laminating resin is about 10% of the weight of said armor plate.

24. Flexible armor plate according to claim 20, wherein a thick layer of highly resilient material is laminated to said inner layer.

25. Flexible armor plate for an armored garment, said plate comprising outer, intermediate and inner layers of woven high tenacity elongatable p-lastic textile material, said plate comprising a rectangular front portion, a rectangular back portion and a shoulder portion, the longitudinal axes of said front portion and of said back portion being disposed at an obtuse angle relative to each other, said front portion and said back portion being resin spot-laminated in the pattern of a large plurality of large triangles which are transversely aligned and extend over the areas of said front and back portions in spaced rows, the interstices between said spotlaminations in said rows being less than the maximum linear dimensions of said spot-laminations, and the shoulder portion of said plate being spotlaminated in a pattern of a plurality of transversely aligned dots.

26. Flexible armor plate for an armored garment, said plate compriisng outer, intermediate and inner layers of woven high tenacity elongatable plastic textile material, said plate comprising a rectangular front portion, a rectangular back portion and a shoulder portion, the longitudinal axes of said front portion and of said back portion being disposed at an obtuse angle relative to each other, said front portion, back portion and shoulder portion being resin spotlaminated, the spot laminations of said front and back portion being of large `dimensions and arranged in spaced rows extending over substantial portions of the areas of said front and back portions1 the interstices between said spot-laminations in said rows being less than the maximum linear dimensions of said last-mentioned spotlaminations; and the spot laminations over said shoulder portion extending over a relatively lesser portion of the area thereof as compared with the spot-laminated areas of said front and back portions, whereby said armored plate is rendered more flexible in its shoulder portion than in its front and back portions.

27. Armored garment comprising a pair of armored plates of outer, intermediate, and inner layers of woven high tenacity elongatable plastic textile material, each of said plates comprising a rectangular front portion, a rectangular back portion and a shoulder portion, the longitudinal axes of said front portion and of said back portion being disposed at an obtuse angle relative to each other, said front portion and said back portion being resin spot-laminated in the pattern of a large plurality of large triangles which are transversely aligned and extend over the area of said front and back portions in spaced rows, the interstices between said spot-laminations in said rows being less than the maximum linear dimensions of said last-mentioned spot-laminations; said pair of plates being hinged together along the inner edges of their back portions in a substantially Y-shaped formation, the oblique portions of said Y-shaped formation meeting in a iiy front and the outer edges of the hinged back portion being joined to said oblique front portions along the sides of the torso.

28. Armored garment comprising a pair of armorer plates of outer, intermediate, and inner layers of woven high tenacity elongatable plastic textile material, said textile material comprising a rectangular front portion, a rectangular back portion and a shoulder portion, the longitudinal axes of said front portion and of said back portion being disposed at an obtuse angle relative to each other, said front portion, back portion and shoulder portion being resin spotlaminated, the spot laminations of said front and back portion being large and arranged in spaced rows extending over substantial portions of the areas of said front and back portions, the interstic between said spot-laminations in said rows being less than the maximum linear dimensions of said last-mentioned spot-laminations; and the spot laminations over said shoulder portion extending over a relatively lesser portion of the area thereof as compared with the spot-laminated areas of said front and back portions, whereby said armored plate is rendered more flexible in its shoulder portion than in its front and back portions, said pair of plates being hinged together along the inner edges of their back portions in a substantially Y-shaped formation, the oblique portions of said Y-shaped formation meeting in a ily front and the outer edges of the hinged back portion being joined to said oblique front portions along the sides of the torso.

29. Armored garment according to claim 28, wherein a thick layer of highly resilient material is laminated to the inner layers of said pair of armored plates.

RUSSELL W. EHLERS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,324,234 Daigre Dec. 9, 1919 2,076,076 Dunlap Apr. 6, 1937 2,399,184 Heckert Apr. 30, 1946 2,430,053 Hershberger Nov. 4, 1947 2,466,597 Kropscott et al. Apr. 5, 1949 2,534,923 Nagel et al. Dec. 19, 1950 2,562,951 Rose et al. Aug. 7, 1951 2,616,482 Barnes Nov. 4, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 990,532 France June 6, 1951

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